Latest news with #Lubitz
Wales Online
07-05-2025
- General
- Wales Online
Germanwings Flight 9525 crash led to new safety rule still used by major airlines today
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Sky Documentaries is set to revisit the heart-wrenching Germanwings flight that crashed into the French Alps in 2015, claiming all lives on board. The ill-fated Flight 9525 was en route from Barcelona to Dusseldorf on March 24, when co-pilot Andreas Lubitz locked himself in the cockpit and deliberately plunged the plane into the Alps. The flight's captain, Patrick Sonderheimer, had reportedly taken a toilet break and was unable to persuade Lubitz to open the door in the crucial minutes leading up to the crash. Subsequent investigations revealed that Lubitz had previously undergone psychiatric treatment and had struggled with suicidal thoughts. Prosecutors also found that his internet searches included inquiries about the most effective methods of suicide, reports the Manchester Evening News. A decade after this devastating incident, viewers will be keen to understand what measures have been implemented to enhance flight safety. (Image: Ministere de l'Interieur/Getty Images) In response to the tragedy, Lufthansa, the parent company of Germanwings, introduced a rule requiring two crew members to be present in the cockpit at all times. Other airlines, including EasyJet, followed suit by implementing similar policies. This safety protocol was already in place in the United States, and some European airlines such as Ryanair had comparable procedures. In 2017, the German Aviation Association (BDL) concluded that airlines were no longer obligated to follow the two-person cockpit rule. They asserted that it did not enhance flight safety and could present additional hazards, such as preventing cabin crew from assisting passengers in emergencies. (Image:) The announcement by the BDL followed a year after the European Aviation Safety Agency softened its stance on the rule, advising airlines to apply the policy depending on individual circumstances. Despite the lack of requirement, many carriers still adhere to the protocol. The new Sky documentary set to broadcast tonight (May 7), offers an in-depth analysis into what transpired before the catastrophic event, with journalistic and expert insights revealing the details. According to the official synopsis: "In 2015, Germanwings Flight 9525 crashed in the French Alps, killing 150 passengers and crew members. A decade later, survivors, experts and journalists have their say." Germanwings: What Happened on Flight 9525? airs tonight at 9pm on Sky Documentaries
Daily Mirror
07-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mirror
Huge rule introduced after Germanwings tragedy that pilots still follow
The tragic 2015 crash claimed the lives of 150 people (Image: Ministere de l'Interieur/Getty Images) Sky Documentaries is set to revisit the heart-wrenching Germanwings flight disaster that occurred in 2015, killing all passengers on board. Flight 9525 was en route from Barcelona to Dusseldorf on March 24, when co-pilot Andreas Lubitz barricaded himself in the cockpit and deliberately crashed the plane into the French Alps. The flight's captain, Patrick Sonderheimer, had reportedly stepped out for a toilet break and was unable to persuade Lubitz to unlock the door in the crucial moments leading up to the devastating crash. Subsequent investigations unveiled that Lubitz had a history of psychiatric treatment and had grappled with suicidal thoughts. Prosecutors also found evidence of his internet searches, which included inquiries about the most effective methods of suicide, reports the Manchester Evening News. A new rule required flights to have two crew members in the cockpit at all times (Image: AFP via Getty Images) A decade after this shocking tragedy, viewers will be keen to understand what measures have been implemented to enhance flight safety. In the aftermath of the incident, Lufthansa, the parent company of Germanwings, introduced a rule mandating the presence of two crew members in the cockpit at all times. Other airlines, including EasyJet, followed suit by adopting similar policies. This safety protocol was already in place in the United States, and some European airlines such as Ryanair had comparable procedures in effect. In a pivotal move back in 2017, the German Aviation Association (BDL) declared that airlines would no longer be compelled to adhere to the two-person cockpit rule. They asserted that the policy did not bolster safety on flights and could invite other dangers, such as cabin crew being tied up during emergencies rather than assisting passengers. The new Sky documentary revisits the tragedy (Image:) The announcement from the German association came a year after the European Aviation Safety Agency eased up on the same regulation. They advised airlines to apply the measure on a case-by-case basis. While some airlines continue to practice the two-person policy, it is no longer considered compulsory. Tonight's new Sky documentary (May 7) offers an in-depth investigation into the sequence of events that culminated in the catastrophic crash of the Germanwings plane. The official synopsis states: "In 2015, Germanwings Flight 9525 crashed in the French Alps, killing 150 passengers and crew members. A decade later, survivors, experts and journalists have their say." Germanwings: What Happened on Flight 9525? airs tonight at 9pm on Sky Documentaries
Euronews
24-03-2025
- General
- Euronews
Families of victims mark 10th anniversary of the Germanwings plane crash
ADVERTISEMENT Commemorations have been held in France, Germany and Spain to mark the tenth anniversary of the Germanwings plane crash in the French Alps. On the morning of 24 March 2015, Germanwings Flight 9525 departed from Barcelona and was supposed to land in Düsseldorf. But co-pilot Andreas Lubitz deliberately flew the plane into a mountainside, killing all 150 people on board, investigators concluded. Among the victims were 16 students and two teachers from a high school in Haltern am See, a town in western Germany, who were flying home from an exchange trip to Spain. The other passengers also included two babies, two renowned German opera singers, a member of an Argentine rock band, three generations of a family, a mother and son on vacation, a newlywed couple, business travellers, and many others. While most victims were from Germany and Spain, there were 17 nationalities among the dead. Related Germanwings: France closes manslaughter investigation into 2015 plane crash Father of Germanwings pilot seeks to clear son's name Many relatives of the victims visited the crash site in the French Alps near the village of Le Vernet. Several local officials, along with Carsten Spohr, CEO of Lufthansa — the parent company of Germanwings — also laid flowers in memory of the lives lost. In Germany's Haltern am See, students placed roses in the courtyard of the Joseph König High School, and hundreds of people gathered in the rain to observe a moment of silence at 10:41 am, the exact time the plane crashed. The school's principal, Christian Krahl, emphasised the importance of remembering the tragedy, even for students who weren't directly affected by it. "We want to be close to those who are infinitely sad to this day," he said. Wreaths were also laid at the town's cemetery, where some of the students are buried. A memorial in the form of a schoolroom stands there as a tribute to the young lives lost. Rescue workers work at the crash site after a Germanwings plane crashed over the French Alps near Seyne-les-Alpes, France in March 2015. AP Photo/Claude Paris Commemorations were also planned at the airports in Düsseldorf and Barcelona. At Düsseldorf Airport, a book of condolences was available in the so-called Room of Silence for employees and travellers. The crash caused shock worldwide when it was revealed that co-pilot Lubitz had locked the captain out of the cockpit and deliberately crashed the plane into a mountainside. Lubitz had previously struggled with depression, but both his airline and authorities deemed him fit to fly. In the months leading up to the crash, he had been battling insomnia and feared going blind, but kept his struggles hidden from his employer. "This state of shock, the deeply felt sympathy of all the residents for the families and the question of why this happened are still with us today," Haltern am See Mayor Andreas Stegemann told German media. "The Germanwings crash is a permanent part of our town's history," he said. The crash site in France is now marked by a 5-metre "Solar Orb," meant to represent the sun and the five continents. The memorial, made up of 149 gilded aluminium plates — marking all those on board except the co-pilot — was erected in 2017.
Local France
24-03-2025
- General
- Local France
French Alpine village mourns Germanwings crash victims decade on
The Airbus A320 belonging to Lufthansa's low-cost carrier Germanwings met its end on March 24th, 2015 near the small Alpine village of Le Vernet while on its way from Barcelona to Duesseldorf. The crash killed all 144 passengers and six crew - a group of people from 20 countries, among them 72 Germans and 50 Spaniards. Families of the victims in Le Vernet on Monday marked a minute of silence at 10.41am, the exact moment a decade earlier when their loved ones died. Several French, German and Spanish officials laid wreaths in Le Vernet's cemetery, where unidentified victims were buried in a mass grave. Advertisement Lufthansa chief executive Carsten Spohr said the tragedy still haunted the company and guided its thinking on "responsibility". Former mayor Bertrand Bartolini told AFP that visiting the crash site, where rescuers retrieved thousands of body parts amid the wreckage, had deeply scarred him. It was a "place of absolute horror," he said. "I saw things there that I will never be able to talk about." Grief-stricken families and media soon poured into the remote community, and Bartolini found himself having to sign death certificates for 150 people in multiple copies. He said he still remembers the German couple who died with their 18-month-old son and the recently married Moroccan couple who had planned to board an earlier flight but were delayed for bureaucratic reasons. The victims also included 16 students and two teachers from a high school in the western German town of Haltern am See. The teenagers and staff were heading home after a week-long school exchange in Spain. But as flight 4U 9525 cruised above France, 27-year-old Andreas Lubitz, who had depression, took the decision that sealed the fate of everyone aboard. When the pilot, Captain Patrick Sondenheimer, left the cockpit for a bathroom break, Lubitz locked the door behind him and set the autopilot into a steady descent. In the flight's last minutes, the voice recorder only picks up Lubitz's breathing as he ignores calls from air traffic controllers while the screaming pilot tries to pry open the door with a crowbar. Nina Theaudin, a German who runs a nearby campsite, helped interpret for the families of the victims when they arrived in Le Vernet afterwards. Advertisement She told AFP she had developed long-term relationships with some of those relatives over the years as they returned to the area to hike up to the crash site. She became friends with the family of a teenage girl from Haltern am See who died in the crash, and her own daughter went to stay with them in 10th grade.
Local Germany
24-03-2025
- General
- Local Germany
French Alpine village mourns Germanwings crash victims decade on
The Airbus A320 belonging to Lufthansa's low-cost carrier Germanwings met its end on March 24th, 2015 near the small Alpine village of Le Vernet while on its way from Barcelona to Duesseldorf. The crash killed all 144 passengers and six crew - a group of people from 20 countries, among them 72 Germans and 50 Spaniards. Families of the victims in Le Vernet on Monday marked a minute of silence at 10.41am, the exact moment a decade earlier when their loved ones died. Several French, German and Spanish officials laid wreaths in Le Vernet's cemetery, where unidentified victims were buried in a mass grave. Advertisement Lufthansa chief executive Carsten Spohr said the tragedy still haunted the company and guided its thinking on "responsibility". Former mayor Bertrand Bartolini told AFP that visiting the crash site, where rescuers retrieved thousands of body parts amid the wreckage, had deeply scarred him. It was a "place of absolute horror," he said. "I saw things there that I will never be able to talk about." Grief-stricken families and media soon poured into the remote community, and Bartolini found himself having to sign death certificates for 150 people in multiple copies. He said he still remembers the German couple who died with their 18-month-old son and the recently married Moroccan couple who had planned to board an earlier flight but were delayed for bureaucratic reasons. The victims also included 16 students and two teachers from a high school in the western German town of Haltern am See. The teenagers and staff were heading home after a week-long school exchange in Spain. But as flight 4U 9525 cruised above France, 27-year-old Andreas Lubitz, who had depression, took the decision that sealed the fate of everyone aboard. When the pilot, Captain Patrick Sondenheimer, left the cockpit for a bathroom break, Lubitz locked the door behind him and set the autopilot into a steady descent. In the flight's last minutes, the voice recorder only picks up Lubitz's breathing as he ignores calls from air traffic controllers while the screaming pilot tries to pry open the door with a crowbar. Nina Theaudin, a German who runs a nearby campsite, helped interpret for the families of the victims when they arrived in Le Vernet afterwards. Advertisement She told AFP she had developed long-term relationships with some of those relatives over the years as they returned to the area to hike up to the crash site. She became friends with the family of a teenage girl from Haltern am See who died in the crash, and her own daughter went to stay with them in 10th grade.
